Flexible button



April 14,1931- F. R. WHITE ET AL 1,800,757

FLEXIBLEl BUTTON Filed Nov. 5, 1930 wuemtow Patented Apr. 14, 1931 Y UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE FRANKLIN P.. WHITE AND JOHN J'. WOOSTER, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, AS- SIGNOES TO THE PATENT BUTTON COMPANY, OF WATERBURY, CONNECTICUT, .A COR- PORATION OF CONNECTICUT FLEXIBLE BUTTON Application led November 3, 1930. Serial No. 493,136.

Our invention relates to new and useful improvements in buttons, and more particularly to what is known as the iexible type of button.

As is well known to those skilled in the art, it is often desirable to have a button wherein the head may move vertically and also tilt slightly or cant when lifted with the fingers, as this tilting or canting or vertical movement of the button head makes it easy to slip the same into the button hole.

One of the objects of the present invention, therefore, is to produce a flexible type of button that will be extremely cheap to manufacture and assemble and consisting of but two parts, each of the said parts being extremely simple in itself.

The present application is a companion to one led of even date herewith and bearing Serial Number 493,135.

Still another object of the invention is to produce an extremely cheap eyelet and which in its preferred form is provided with aA closed top or dome so that when the prong of the tack fastener is driven up within the eyelet it will impinge against the upper inner surface of the dome of the eyelet, which is preferably of hard metal, and thus deform the prong of the tack and iill the enlarged dome-shaped` top of the eyelet to thus rigidly secure the eyelet to the cloth.

With these and other objects in view, the invention consists in certain new and novel arrangements and combinations of parts, as will behereinafter more fully described and pointed out in the claims.

Reterring now tothe drawings showing a preferred form and a slightly modified form of eyelet,

Fig. l is a top plan view of the button head;

Fig. 2 is a sectional view thereof;

Fig. 3 is a sectional view of the button head with a cap placed thereon, a sectional view of the eyelet beneath the same and a bottom plan view of the eyelet;

Fig. 4 is a sectional view of the button head and showing the eyelet iitted and nested within the button head;

Fig. 5 is a View similar to Fig. 4 but showing the button head in its raised position;

Fig. 6 is a similar view but showing the tack fastener holding the button to the cloth, the dotted lines showing a tilting position of the button head;

Fig. 7 shows a slightly modified form of eyelet.

Referring now more particularly to the several views and Figs. 1 to 6 inclusive and for the moment to Figs. l, 2 and 3, there is shown a button head l, which is preferably formed of aluminum. These button heads are made from aluminum slugs or rods in the well known manner and can be cheaply made, as the aluminum is just subjected in a machine (not shown) to the action of dies.

p It will be noticed that the button head l has the tapered rim 2 and is provided with a hollow hub 3, which is dome-shaped, as at 4. It will also be noticed that the body portion or upper part of the button head is relatively thin, as a metal cap 5 is to be secured thereon, which cap, of course, may have any desired insignia or trade-mark stamped therein. The relative thinness of the body of the button head may also be noticed, as compared with the button head shown in the companion application heretofore referred to.

It will further be understood that although this button head is stated as being made of aluminum, it will be understood that it also might be made of stainless steel or any other non-tarnishable metal alloy.

Referring now to the eyelet 6, which forms the base of the button and which forms a means for the button head to tilt on, reference is made to Figs. 3 to 6 inclusive. This little eyelet 6 may be made of brass or may hub 3 of the button head 1 and after'th'is'eye#y let is placed in position, the loweredges of the walls 3 of the hub are crimped inwardly, as at 11,7to slidingly fit about the vertical walls 8 of the eyelet but impinger against the flared portion 10 of the eyelet when the' button Y head is raised with respect to the eyelet. In

)other words, the button head may move vertically on the hub of the eyelet but cannot become disengaged therefrom, as will be readily appreciated. f

It will also be seen that the base of the eyelet7 is flared upwardly or cup-shaped and will permit the crimped lower edge of the hub of the button head to nest therein.

Furthermore, it will be seen that by simply providing'the base 7 of the eyelet 6 in this manner withv but one .thicknessk of material, it

may be quickly and readily stamped out in the proper die.v

Referringl for the moment to Fig.` 6,.it will .be seen thatjitfis asimple matter to attach the button. As` is well known, these buttons are attached in automatic button attaching machines, (not shown), the-buttons feeding down one hopper and thetacks down another and the tack is thendriven upthrough the cloth 12and the prong 13 of the Vtack 14 will passl within thehub of the eyelet, .impinge Vagainst the dome or cover 9-of the eyelet and bedeformed and assume substantiallythe shape, as shown `at 15. Thus, the :prong-13 'will substantiallyfillthedome of theeyelet and will widen out, so that it cannot pull out through the hub 8of the eyelet, lin this manner securely fastening thebutton to the cloth.

It will be seen that the head 1 may move vertically onthe eyelet to assume the posi-- tion shown in Fig. 5 but normally it will remain in the position shown in Fig. 4. It

will likewisebe able to tilt or cant slightly, as will be also readily appreciated. Y

By making'thi's dome-shaped eyelet with its integral cover, it will absolutely prevent any chance of the prong piercing the body portionfof the button head. Furthermore, theshape ofithe' domevof the eyelet is'. the same as the shape of the" dome portion 'of the hollow hub of the button head, so that when the button-is attached, the do-me ofthe eyelet andthe domeof the button head will be Y es;

snugly heldV against-each other.y

In Fig. 7 ,-we4 have shown aslightmodifb' cation of the eyelet, as the eyelet might be made in this'way, although it is quite far more preferable to make the eyelet as shown in the preferred form. However, should the button'head bemade of say a stainless steel so that a tack could not penetrate the same, the eyelet might be made as shown in this modified form. y

It will be seen that the eyelet in this instance has a cupped base 16 eXactlysimilar to the preferred form, has the hollow hub 17 and is flared on its upper edge, as at V18, but does not have the integral dome cover over the hub. In the same manner, when the tack 'is drivenup into the hub, it will deform over the flared portion 18 to thusk hold the eyelet in position. Y v v Y It will be understood, however, that this modified form may be used but at the pres. eg? time the preferred form is more desira e.

From the foregoing, it will beV seen that we have produced a flexible type of button comprising simply a button headvon which there Amay be an ornamental cap and an eyelet that may be quickly and. readily fastened to the material and the eyelet, in turn, being simple in construction and preferably with an integral cover over the eyeletyso thaty a tack prong `cannot possibly mutilate the button head. ,4 l Y 1 v .Y

Finally, it will be seen that the button head may be of relatively thin metal so that the buttonk will be extremely light in weight and, at the saine time, there will be no danger lof thetack piercingor mutilating the button heador its cap.v

Having thus described our invention, wha

` we claim as new andy desire to secure by Letters Patent is: v

1. A flexible type of button comprising a button head having a'hollow'hub, a closed` top eyelet irremovably fitting within Vsaid hub and thebase of the eyelet comprising a cup-shaped-,rinn the outer edge of the rim terminating in a plane normally above the loweredgeof the hub-of the eyelet, Vand the upper edge of the hub ofthe eyelet being outwardly` flared and adapted to receive a tack fastener. y 2. A flexible button comprising a solid head having a hollow hub, an eyelet fitting withiny said hollow hub, the head capable of vertical movement on the eyelet but irremovably held thereto, the button head prof vided with a metal cap andthe base of the eyelet being cup-shaped and terminating above the lower edge of the hub of the button head when the button head is in its normal position;

, 3. A flexible type of button comprising 4a solidbutton head having a hollow hub, an eyeletV having, parallel sides Vtting fwithin said hub and said eyeletfhaving an integral outwardly flared dome-shaped cover, the' lower edge of the hub ot the button head crimped under the flared portion of the hub of the eyelet and nesting within the base of the eyelet, and the dome-shaped cover of the eyelet adapted to receive the mutilated end ot a tack to thereby hold the button in position.

4. A flexible type of button comprising a solid head and a cap thereon, the button head provided with a dome-shaped hollow hub, an eyelet having a cup-shaped base, a hollow hub and a dome-shaped cover whose diameter is greater than the diameter of the hub of the eyelet, and the hub of the button head crimped beneath the dome of the eyelet whereby the head may move vertically with respect to said eyelet and be irremovably secured thereto.

5. A flexible type of button comprising a button head having a dome-shaped hollow hub, an eyelet fitted within said hub, the eyelet comprising a cup-shaped base, a hollow hub and an outwardly iiared integral domeshaped cover over said hub, the hub of the button head crimped beneath the ared dome of the eyelet and the hub movable vertically with respect to the eyelet, and the dome of the eyelet adapted to receive a mutilated prong of a fastener to thereby secure the button to the article to which it is tobe attached.

6. A button of the flexible type comprising a button head and a cap secured thereto, said button head provided with a dome-shaped hub, a correspondingly dome-shaped eyelet having a restricted hub and a cup-shaped base, the lower edge of the hub of the button head crimped beneath the dome of the eyelet to secure said parts to each other and the parts being vertically movable with respect to each other, the cup-shaped base nesting the crimped edges of the hub of the button head, and the dome-shaped eyelet adapted to re- -ceive the mutilated end of a tack to thereby hold the button to the article to which it is to be attached.

7. An eyelet comprising a concave base, a hollow hub, an integral convex cover over the hub, and the convex cover being greater in cross sectional diameter than the diameter ot the hub of the eyelet and the inner wall of the conveX cover adapted to turn the prong of a fastener.

In testimony whereof, we affix our signatures.

FRANKLIN R. WHITE. JOHN J. WOOSTER. 

